The Scalpel, the Sword

Published in 1952, The Scalpel, the Sword is an account of the life of Dr. Norman Bethune. Born in 1890, Bethune became a world-class thoracic surgeon after a personal bout with tuberculosis, pioneering new treatments and performing them for free to heal the poor. Upon becoming politicized and joining the Communist Party of Canada, Dr. Bethune served in the Spanish Civil War before being sent to China. There he continued his work, his reputation preceding him among the Chinese people and Japanese invaders alike. Dr. Bethune died in 1939 due to complications from a wound sustained while treating an Eighth Route Army soldier. His eulogy, "In Memory of Norman Bethune," written personally by Chairman Mao, commended the Communist doctor's spirit of proletarian internationalism: "We must all learn the spirit of absolute selflessness from him. With this spirit everyone can be very useful to the people. A man's ability may be great or small, but if he has this spirit, he is already noble-minded and pure, a man of moral integrity and above vulgar interests, a man who is of value to the people."